XCOM: Enemy Unknown
XCOM: Enemy Unknown is the turn-based strategy game re-make of the original UFO: Enemy Unknown/X-COM: UFO Defense developed by Firaxis Games, the same company behind the massively successful Civilization games. The game was released on October 9th in North America and released October 12th internationally. Pre-orders of the game will receive a feature called the Elite Soldier Pack which includes various aesthetic upgrades to your squad's armor. The Special Edition of the game will be available exclusively to the PC and will contain an art book, fold-out poster of the XCOM headquarters, XCOM insignia patch, soundtrack, special art, and more.http://www.2kgames.com/blog/xcom-enemy-unknown-release-date-special-edition-and-more Story XCOM: Enemy Unknown comes with an entirely new invasion story, enemies and new technologies to fight aliens and defend Earth. You will control the fate of the human race through researching alien technologies, creating and managing a fully operational base, planning combat missions and controlling soldier movement in intense battle. You will take control of a secret military organization called XCOM. As the XCOM commander, you will defend Earth against a terrifying global alien invasion by managing resources, advancing technologies, and overseeing combat strategies and individual unit tactics. Gameplay XCOM: Enemy Unknown employs turn-based gameplay. Each level is shrouded by "fog of war" and is revealed as players explore the area and discover enemies. Players begin the game with a 4-man squad size. This number expands up to 6 as the game progresses. All soldiers have access to various abilities defined by the classes, weapons, and equipment they bring into combat. Features Strategy Evolved: XCOM: Enemy Unknown couples tactical turn-based gameplay with incredible action sequences and on-the-ground combat. Strategic Base: Recruit, customize and grow unique soldiers and manage your personnel. Detect and intercept the alien threat as you build and expand your XCOM headquarters. Tactical Combat: Direct soldier squads in turn-based ground battles and deploy air units such as the Interceptor and Skyranger. Worldwide Threat: Combat spans the globe as the XCOM team engages in over 70 unique missions, interacting and negotiating with governments around the world. Soldier Classes Soldiers in XCOM: Enemy Unknown start out as a generic soldier type. When they reach the Squaddie rank, they will choose one of the following classes: * Assault Class * Heavy Class * Support Class * Sniper Class Soldiers "level up" as they progress through missions based on how many aliens they kill. So in certain missions, where you feel your squad can safely take out a cornered alien, you may want to weaken it with a few hits and then bring in a soldier you want promoted to take the killing shot. As the soldiers level up in rank (from Rookie to Colonel), they receive bonuses to will and aim. The aim-bonus is based on the class the soldier belongs to and is predefined for every level-up. The will-bonus does not depend on anything - it randomly varies from +4 to +12 (with "Iron will" upgrade purchased) for every promotion. This means the maximum will-power Colonel (highest possible rank) can achieve without bonuses like psi armor / psi inspiration / combat drugs is 116 - 124 (depends on will-power this agent already have had as a Rookie - the range is from 44 to 52). Missions (specially on Classic or Impossible difficulties) require you to bring in a squad comprising of the correct composition of soldier classes.This choice may also be based on the mission type, and the consequent knowledge of the nature of aliens you would face (Terror missions mean Chryssalids; abductions mean Thin Men etc.). Squad compositions can also be pre-determined if you do not have enough soldiers specializing in a specific class. One useful way of improving your soldier roster is to take all rookie teams on the initial few missions, to ensure you have a large number of soldiers with a few kills and consequent promotions under their belt. The diversity of classes and a slightly inflated soldier count which you can potentially get by this method is extremely useful as an injury to a particular class soldier no longer means you will have to take a different team composition into the next mission requiring a complete shift in strategy and play-style. A choice of many adequate soldiers as opposed to a very few highly trained ones may pay off in the long run (and is essential on harder difficulties) as a strategy focused on training a hand few of vets only can unravel very quickly with the death of even one key soldier. An inflated roster with promotions and kills evened out over the squad is thus recommended. Soldier roles and team composition often define the ideal play-style and tactical approach in-mission. Your sniper should be in the back, under cover, and with a clear line of sight towards the enemy. Your assault (or an assault team consisting of two or more assaults) should be deployed on the front lines with heavy armor so they can sweep in for the kill, or should be kept on the flanks so they can run n' gun and take out weakened enemies from the flank. Your supports are multipurpose and can be used for more than just healing, especially if you take the extra movement perk, as they can quickly positions themselves to take a shot, or move in with an arc thrower to stun and caputure an alien. Your heavies should be in the core of the team, lighting up targets with holo-targetting so as to ensure their squadmates can kill the targetted alien, or positioned in a manner to enable them to fire a rocket at a concentration of enemies. Later in the game you can unlock perks from the Officer Training School to increase squad size to six, and another useful perk which automatically gives the Squaddie promotion to all new recruits. The effect of this perk is retroactive, so any Rookies in the barracks when the perk is purchased will automatically be promoted to Squaddie. Research By researching new tech, player will gain access to upgrades such as body armor, and weapons, as well as gaining access to new facilities. By interrogating captured live aliens, player gain Research credits, which can greatly spead up the research process. *XCOM Enemy Unknown 2012 Tech Tree Enemies The known enemies include: * Sectoid ** Commander * Cyberdisc * Drone * Muton ** Elite ** Berserker * Floater ** Heavy Floater * Chryssalid ** Zombie ** Chryssalid Hatchling * Thin Man * Outsider * Sectopod * Ethereal ** Uber Ethereal Guides *Impossible Difficulty Strategy Guide *Impossible Difficulty Combat Guide *Squad Tactics Pre-Order Bonus and Special Edition Players who pre-ordered the game received access to the Elite Soldier Pack, which adds a variety of cosemetic options to customize their squad's look including a number of color and aesthetic armor upgrades and a new flattop hairstyle inspired by the original X-COM: UFO Defense. XCOM-EU EliteSoldier Addon.jpg XCOM-EU-Pre-Order-Concept-Art_1280px.jpg Players who pre-ordered on Steam also received a copy of Civilization V. The XCOM: Enemy Unknown Special Edition '''launched with the above pre-order bonuses as well as an exclusive art book, a fold-out poster of the XCOM headquarters, an XCOM insignia patch, and a collection of digital bonus assets such as desktop wallpaper, soundtrack, and more. Downloadable Content * On October 23th 2012, the ''Elite Soldier Pack'' became available as paid DLC on PC, PSN, and Xbox Live for $4.99/400 Microsoft Points. * On Dec 4th 2012, ''Slingshot Content Pack'' become available as a new set of linked Council Missions set in China. The Slingshot Content Pack includes three new maps tied to the Council missions, a new playable character with a unique appearance and voice and several new Soldier customization options. ' '' The Slingshot Content Pack is available on PC, PSN, and Xbox Live for $6.99/560 Microsoft Points. Box Covers XCOM-EU-FOB-XBOX-PEGI.jpg|Xbox box cover XCOM-EU-FOB-PS3-PEGI.jpg|Ps3 box cover Game Art Geoscape610.jpg MissionCtrl610.jpg ArtXCOM610.jpg XcomEnemyUnknownCover.jpg Sectoid.png XCOM Logo.gif Screen shots GasStation 06 1280watermark.jpg Engineering 1280watermark.jpg DeepWoods 01 1280watermark.jpg DeepWoods1280.jpg GasStationShotHUD 02 1280watermark.jpg 630820 full.jpg 630816 full.jpg 630818 full.jpg 630814 full.jpg 630812 full.jpg 630810 full.jpg 630806 full.jpg 630804 full.jpg 630802 full.jpg 630800 full.jpg 630822 full.jpg 630808 full.jpg XCOM Concept Art Piero Macgowan 01a.jpg Videos UNyhyzjYCks External Links *Game Informer's XCOM: Enemy Unknown Hub *IGN's Getting to Know XCOM: Enemy Unknown References Category:XCOM: Enemy Unknown Category:Games